Note: For clarity, the following is purely my opinion and take on the news released on Thursday regarding changes to the BCHL for next season. The suggestions and opinions below don’t necessarily reflect those of the Kings or its staff. This piece is designed to encourage discussion on the topic.
On Thursday, the BCHL’s Board of Govenors passed several changes to the league, that will come into play for the 2012-2013 season. Some have been met with a positive reaction, like the Showcase Weekend, which will allow NCAA, CIS and NHL scouts a chance to see every player in the league in a central location. The potential for an increase in schloarships is huge, and this is a great move by the league in my opinion.
Other changes were the reduction of games from 60 to 56 in the regular season. The showcase will be 1 home and 1 away game, so 27 home dates at the Hap Parker Arena, a move designed to do away with mid-week games which traditionally draw lower crowds. It’s an interesting take on it…play less to earn more. I’m still on the fence on this one, as it does take away hockey from fans, but the upside is potentially those bigger crowds during weekend games, and that’s the reasoning behind the move. In Powell River, the average crowd of 700-800 will have to be made up 3-fold over the remaining 27 home dates (granted many of those are seasons passes).
The change I want to talk about is realignment. In my opinion, it’s a very confusing move, especially with the fact that a playoffs structure hasn’t been decided upon, and the league is currently asking for suggestions. I’ve had a crack at some various scenarios over the last couple of days, and couldn’t figure anything out using the current 3-division, 10-team Coast 6-team Interior type alignment. This is the closest that I came to:
- A four-division, two-conference alignment with four teams in each division based largely on geography
- Each team plays 1 home and 1 away against every team in the league (30 games)
- The remaining 26 games can be split with 4 additional games against divisional rivals (12 games) and 3 additional games against the other division (12 games)
- The final two games could then be a rotation in your division. For example, this season, the Kings could play Coquitlam and Surrey an extra time, the next Langley and Surrey, the season after that Langley and Coquitlam. Another option might be to play an extra game against outlying teams (Trail, Prince George, even Powell River if necessary) so that a trip to those locations can yield a double header instead of a single game.
- For playoffs, the top two teams from each division would advance to an 8-team playoff structure where the divisions would play each other in-conference, before crossing over for the league final.
- The top ranked team in one division (ie: Coastal Mainland) would play the 2nd place team in the other division (Coastal Island). Winners advance, crowning a Conference Champion along the way to a league final.
This situation is far from ideal, but in my opinion it makes the most sense. There are rumblings about the Wenatchee Wild making a move to the BCHL from the NAHL in the next year or two, and that might allow the Chiefs to move to the Coast and do a 9-8 conference setup (even 9 and 9 if Williams Lake returns).
I’m curious to hear anyone’s thoughts on the new alignment, a potential playoff structure with the current setup, or a new option all together. Leave a comment below or send me an email: kingsbroadcast@gmail.com. I’m more than willing to be proven wrong and shown other options, and I’m very curious to see what the league does for playoffs next season.
